Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

17 reviews

gfiore11's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I just finished reading and feel compelled to immediately leave a review. Mind-blowing work of fiction that leaves me reflecting on both the book and my own understanding of the world. I have already returned back to reread sections to better understand the work as a whole, and will likely have to reread the entire work again to grasp every detail and symbol (this is rare for me). Although sad, the result is a hopeful and nuanced understanding of the nature of human difference, and how to bridge the divide between individuals and societies with love, understanding, and true acceptance at its core. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, and Deportation

Minor: Incest

dokujoy's review against another edition

adventurous reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse and Police brutality

Minor: Death, Incest, and Suicide

red_lapis's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

A deeply thoughtful and fascinating exploration of humanity and our connections with one another. 

Le Guin is masterful at world building - like any story set in another world it can be a bit of a mouthful to chew on in the first few chapters, but other than that we're fed only what is necessary, and more importantly when it is necessary to understand the impact and consequences of growing up in these worlds. 

The world itself is so rich and full of depth. Though is it firmly sci-fi, at times it doesn't feel too far from home, and sometimes it feels absolutely mystical. It is unlike any other sci-fi I've ever read, that's for sure. Despite being set many thousands of years in our future, there's a comforting timelessness feeling to it. I'm sure there is so much more to learn about the cultures and people of these worlds in the sequels and I can't wait.

The characters are again so tangible and full of depth. Despite being so different from us, it's easy to find them so relatable as they learn to understand themselves and each other. The characters and the plot is compelling.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Police brutality, and Medical trauma

Minor: Incest

gilnean's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Incest, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Ableism, Child death, Cursing, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Excrement, Vomit, and Sexual harassment

_david_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The worldbuilding is masterfully executed, revealing a rich and diverse world and culture within the confines of a relatively short book. The characters are captivating, and the narrative effectively captures the challenges of collaboration with a culture one doesn't fully comprehend and vice versa.

The book successfully presents multiple perspectives, with the main character questioning his own ideas and cultural norms after engaging with Winter's people. What stands out is how Winter and its countries aren't portrayed as utopias nor lesser places than earth. They're not good or bad, just different, with their own moral grey areas. Even the two countries that are shown in the book have big cultural differences. Eventhough gender is a significant theme and the first thing you'll likely learn when looking up the book, the core focus revolves around learning to respect and collaborate with another culture. The way gender is represented in the book is in a world that shows the what-if scenario of a society where gender (or sexuality) has no impact on people's role in it.

The only aspect I wish were different is that 'neutral' pronouns and other terms are male to the reader. Perhaps it highlights the flaws of the main character and his default way of thinking. But I still found it odd.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, Grief, and Deportation

Moderate: Animal death, Incest, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Gaslighting

Minor: Cursing, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

arcturus_b's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Misogyny, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

waxwwing's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This book is so complicated, man. (Yes, I understand how ironic the use of the word 'man' is here). I'm very grumpy about

Estraven's death

but I think the ending of the novel is, ultimately, very fitting. This is the sort of novel that I believe I would enjoy much more if I was studying it - there's so many layers to this text and what is has to say about gender, and I'm particularly interested in the role

incest (god)

plays into the narrative. TLDR; Ursula Le Guin would be massively fascinated by modern ABO fanfic. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Incest, Violence, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail

bookishperseus's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

It did take a while for me to be able to start this book, and at times I found it incredibly slow, complex or tedious.

I did keep reading it because there was a small interest as to what would happen, even though this book is following what could be considered a 'usual every day life'.

Towards the end, I found the final 3 or 4 chapters actually quite interesting. Not something I'd read again, but glad I finished it!

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Deportation

Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

matteo_rio's review against another edition

adventurous challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

i love le guin’s intro to this book so much, i love sci-fi

fave quote: “it is a terrible thing, this kindness that human beings do not lose. terrible, because when we are finally naked in the dark and cold, it is all we have. we who are so rich, so full of strength, end up with that small change. we have nothing else to give.”

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Police brutality

Minor: Incest, Xenophobia, and War

maryellen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail